Police have released an image of this man following the attack on the Brixton restaurant worker
(Picture: Metropolitan Police)Metropolitan Police have released an image of the man they wish to identify as a Brixton restaurant worker fights for his life after he was punched by a man outside the establishment.
The man in his 20s, named in media reports Italian national Marco Pannone, cracked his head on the pavement after he fell from the blow outside the restaurant on the evening of December 2.
Metropolitan Police said officers were called to a serious assault at Ferndale Road just after midnight on Saturday December 3.
The victim was working at a restaurant there when two unknown men “approached him and engaged in conversation” just after 11pm, the Met said in a statement on Wednesday.
“One of the men then punched the victim in the face outside the restaurant, causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. The assault appears to have been unprovoked.
“The two suspects ran off in the direction of Nursery Road.”
London Ambulance Service attended and the victim, aged in his 20s, was taken to hospital and has suffered life-changing head injuries, the Met said.
The man’s family have been contacted by officers and are being kept informed about his condition and the progress of the investigation.
Detectives from the local policing team in London have carried out several enquiries, including a review of CCTV from the area. They have shared an image of a man they would like to identify.
The victim’s sister Veronica Pannone reportedly told Mail Online from Italy that he is “between life and death”.
“My brother is such a gentle person, he’s been living in London for five years and nothing like this has ever happened before, he always said how safe he felt there.”
She said that neither of her parents have passports so an uncle has flown to London to be with Marco.
“We are just hoping and praying that he pulls through. We just don’t know what happened. All we know is that he has been operated on and he is in a serious condition.”
In a statement shared with the Standard, Albion & East confirmed that one of its employees was assaulted on the night of December 2.
“The incident is currently subject to a police investigation and, out of respect to Marco and his family, we will refrain from further comment until the investigation has run its course.
“We will of course be giving the police our fullest possible assistance in their enquiry and our focus is on supporting Marco in his recovery.”
Albion & East is a collection of individual neighbourhood bars.
